Investigating innovative ways of sharing the creative process from start to premiere

THE FIRST Convening

march 2016

After a day in the studio watching each other work, a distinction appears. Whether it’s an essential difference between how we work or a matter of degree remains to be investigated:

Bebe(while internally calibrating the kinesthetic/spatial distance between her two arms, held up in the air just so): “What is this?”

Sue(not really in answer to Bebe but, in Bebe’s understanding of Sue, and maybe Sue’s understanding of Sue: “It is this.”

Of course, in time we realize that it’s a matter of scale: dial out to wider framework of a work to see what does AND doesn’t belong, Sue will come up with "hmmm?" and Bebe will know exactly what she wants.

And we are more, of course, than one singular approach to the choreographic moment, but there is something to this difference, the What Is It? It Is This, that is curious enough to mark as The Start of The Making Room. We had already started—taking turns making, with Angie and Christal, lots of talking and snacks—but for BEBE, a lover of small epiphanies, this is a goody. When it is her turn again, she goes for it, tries on Sue’s definitive. She doesn't miss her question, not too much, and pretty quickly comes up with a duet, set with Angie and Christal for Angie and Christal.

It is new territory, putting their inflections in service to a new definitive. Bebe likes their confidence, likes the matter-of-fact is-ness of the gesture of the thing. It’s a keeper.

However, we do not manage to keep (or record!) the once-only improvisation that seemed to hold a beautiful quality of timing, a generous regard, an unfolding alignment between Angie, Christal and Bebe, with Sue watching it make itself. It was there, in the room, we all felt it, didn’t try it twice, gone for now.

Here are two examples of our daily work. The audio for each serves as a voice-over for the making-in-the-room, literally. A bit out of sync but rich with interesting parallels.